Abandoned home comes down following On Your Side report

BATON ROUGE - A home that's been on the City-Parish condemnation list since 2014 finally came tumbling down this week. The home located in the 2900 block of Sherwood Street was demolished this week.

Sharon Williams and her family own a rental property next door to the damaged property. In the past, renters have been deterred from signing a lease because of the overgrown lot and what it attracts.

"It has been a little hassle because of the critters that have been coming through," said Williams. "We have all types of critters around here raccoons, snakes, wild rats, now we can see a little less of that."

In June 2018, the Baton Rouge Fire Department was called to the property for arson. Someone had set a pile of clothing on fire. The roof was caving in and the front windows looked like it had been used for target practice.

The process to tear down the Sherwood Street property has been drawn-out for Williams. She says she's been calling the City-Parish for years about the overgrown lot and damage to the property.

"Seven years I've been calling and trying to get something done about this house," she said.